StoryCorps project coming to ASU to promote civil discourse on campus

June 7, 2019

Arizona State University founded the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership in 2017 in part to promote civil discourse and free speech on campus.

In the more than two years since its founding, the school has developed a robust curriculum. It has expanded its academic offerings to include two bachelor's degrees, as well as a minor; expanded its public programs to include nationally renowned and politically diverse speakers from all over the country; and launched several new civic education initiatives to benefit the Arizona community. The school recently celebrated its first graduate, a Dean’s Medalist in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership will host StoryCorps’ One Small Step project at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester.Download Full Image

To further its mission, the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership will host One Small Step at Arizona State University this August. The project, put together by national nonprofit StoryCorps, will give ASU students the opportunity to have a civil dialogue with other students with different political views.

“We’re happy to be partnered with One Small Step because it complements our curriculum and the broader experience for students, which emphasizes fundamental debate about political and civic affairs,” said Paul Carrese, director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership.

One Small Step will host a series of 40-minute conversations between pairs of students in August to preserve and record the stories of the ASU community. With permission, StoryCorps will then archive the conversations at the Library of Congress to be preserved for future generations.

“Arizona State University's commitment to engaging with difficult topics with respect and thoughtfulness, specifically through programming hosted by the School for Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, creates the perfect environment for having these types of conversations,” said Roselyn Almonte, manager for community partnerships for One Small Step.

One Small Step is a new project from StoryCorps, which has given over 450,000 people the opportunity to record interviews about their lives and have them preserved in the Library of Congress. The One Small Step project invites people to sit down with people with different political views and have StoryCorps-style conversations in an effort to break down the barriers created by politics.

One Small Step is open to all students from all ASU campuses. To sign up, students will need to fill out a questionnaire by July 19. The questionnaire will help StoryCorps staff to match people for discussion topics.

“We think this strengthens the intellectual foundations for our 21st-century leaders in America and beyond,” Carrese said. “It also strengthens the civic and intellectual fabric of ASU, as well as our broader community.”

“These conversations are not debates, but a space to learn about the life experiences that have shaped someone's worldview, and share their own, as well,” Almonte added.

Another step forward

The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership encourages nonpartisan civil discourse. Through the school’s previous public programs, as well as its upcoming lecture series “Citizenship and Civic Leadership in America,” the school seeks to promote honest conversation about the principles, values and discussions that influence America today.

The school’s curriculum is designed to produce a new class of leaders. Graduates from the school will thrive in public service, journalism, law, business or elected office. Through the discussion of classic, primary texts, as well as hands-on learning through the school’s Global Intensive Experiences and Summer Leadership Institutes, students in civic and economic thought and leadership courses will be prepared to handle tomorrow’s challenges.

Carrese says partnerships like this one with One Small Step will only further the school’s mission of preparing its students. By providing a platform for civil discourse, the school is giving its students a chance to have challenging, yet meaningful conversations with their peers — something they will have to do frequently when they enter their careers and civic life.

“People who want to be leaders in the private or public sector need to be able to hear diverse points of view and respond in a civil and reasonable fashion, accepting that those who disagree with one’s own principles or policies are not always bad people,” Carrese said.

For more information on the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, or the One Small Step program taking place at ASU, contact Joe Martin.

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Seyon Saxophone Quartet, a chamber music ensemble composed of Arizona State University School of Music students, won first and second prizes at two prominent national chamber music competitions during the spring 2019 semester.The quartet, whose programs present traditional western music balanced with edgy contemporary voices, includes two undergraduate junior year students and two graduate student...

ASU saxophone ensemble has banner year at national chamber music competitions

June 7, 2019

Seyon Saxophone Quartet, a chamber music ensemble composed of Arizona State University School of Music students, won first and second prizes at two prominent national chamber music competitions during the spring 2019 semester.

The quartet, whose programs present traditional western music balanced with edgy contemporary voices, includes two undergraduate junior year students and two graduate students: Dylan Hong on soprano saxophone (Bachelor of Music in performance); Nathan Salazar on alto saxophone (Bachelor of Music in performance and Barrett, The Honors College student); Patrick Feher on tenor saxophone (Master of Musical Arts in performance); and Kristen Zelenak on baritone saxophone (Doctor of Musical Arts in performance). Seyon Saxophone QuartetDownload Full Image

The students won first prize in the sixth annual Coltman Chamber Music Competition at the University of Texas, Austin in the mixed instrumental ensemble division. The Coltman Competition provides performance experience and expert commentary to advanced chamber ensembles along with cash prizes, scholarships and performance opportunities.

Seyon also took second prize at the Music Teachers National Association National Chamber Music Competition and first prize at the MTNA Southwest Division Chamber Music Competition in woodwinds divisions. The MTNA competitions, one of the most successful and prestigious student competitions in the country, provides educational experiences and recognizes exceptionally talented young artists and their teachers in their pursuit of musical excellence.

Hong, one of Seyon’s founding members, also took second prize as a soloist at the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition, Young Artist Competition and first prize at MTNA Southwest Division Chamber Music, Young Artist Performance Competition in woodwinds.

The quartet formed in fall 2017 and was coached by Christopher Creviston, associate professor in the ASU School of Music.

One of the quartet’s top missions is the promotion of new music with several commissioned works and world premiere pieces to their credit. They recently completed a performance tour through Texas of their competition repertoire.

Zelenak said she has played chamber music since middle school and loves how a chamber ensemble is a cohesive unit with the ability to highlight the individual voices to create amazing music. She said the quartet loved sharing their music with fellow students and encouraged players to explore other types of saxophones other than what they normally played.

Competitions are rough, Zelenak said, and are oftentimes 75% skill and 25% luck. Her advice to performers interested in competing is to keep going and perform as much as possible.

“It’s best to not go into a competition with the mindset that all you want to do is win,” Zelenak said. “You should want to play the very best you have ever played. That is the goal of competitions — not to win, but to better yourself as musicians and performers. If you do that, you will find success.”